Hi, I’m Hannah, a lone Brit who decided to take a chance and experience the world.
I have always been obsessed with travel and desperately wanted to start my adventures. From watching every. single. YouTube video of places I wanted to visit, and planning my itineraries, I was constantly in a daydream and wondered when it was going to be my turn. Even dreaming about travelling made me happy. It was and still is my number one passion.
When I started university, I started to save every penny I could to fulfil my dreams and get out there. But after my studies, I fell into the same trap that many people fall into –
The World of Work
Now, don’t get me wrong, working is just part of life’s demands and it wasn’t all bad. I met the most amazing people and felt comfortable. I wanted to progress and take my career further, so much so that my travel plans became less and less of a priority. But I also couldn’t shake this feeling of wanting something more. The mundane routine of going into the office started to weigh on me and I thought to myself: is this really it?
When I was fortunate enough to take some time off and go on holiday, I felt like a new woman! Rejuvenated, excited and felt like I had a new reason to be alive again. But on the last day, my whole demeanour would change. My mood would drop drastically and my outlook on life became bitter again. I knew that this path of work wasn’t for me but I felt guilty. I had barely given this a try and if I were to give up now, what did that say about me?
Enough is Enough
I remember the day I decided to stop putting off my travel plans and make it a reality. It was my dad’s birthday and selfishly, I was feeling sorry for myself. I was burnt out from work and daydreaming again of when it was going to be my turn…
It was my mum who had had enough of my self-pity and told me to go to a travel agent where I reserved my first tour around South East Asia. It was finally happening!
Working towards the dream… Hiccup
I started diligently putting money away into my savings and had raised £10,000 towards my travels. I was feeling incredibly proud of myself because I could say that this was all ME. I was excited… But somehow, the moment I handed over that resignation letter to my manager, I felt incredibly unsettled and anxious about my decision.
I worried that I was putting my career on hold if I was smart enough to go out there ALONE… The list goes on.
But I knew that this was something that I wanted and I decided that it was worth the risk.
The big trip!
On the morning of 30th August 2019, I woke up before my alarm, eager to just get to Heathrow Airport. After a tearful goodbye from my mum and sister and a pat on the back from my dad, I was finally on my own. When I boarded a plane to Thailand I suddenly didn’t feel scared anymore. I realised this was exactly where I was supposed to be.
For four months I travelled around to eight different countries and I found the best version of myself. I grew immensely confident, and independent. This was my euphoria.
Cut short; The Pandemic
For whatever reason, I decided to go home to celebrate the new year. It was my first Christmas away from home so I felt quite homesick.
So, 2020, what could this year bring?!
I’ll admit, I thought that the travel bug was out of my system and I could go back to building on that “career” I’ve been talking about. The only problem I had? I didn’t know what I wanted to do. The only thing I was confident about was travelling, so I knew that I needed to get back out there again.
It was at this time that I started to consider teaching English abroad since it’s a great way to earn money and travel at the same time. I set my sights on South Korea… and then the world shut down.
Lockdown and Teaching
The UK went into lockdown in March 2020 and truthfully, I didn’t know what to do with myself. Like many people, I couldn’t get a job and felt increasingly trapped being in the same four walls every day. We as a people, went from being able to go wherever we wanted to suddenly go nowhere. I wouldn’t be the first to say that it was mental torture.
I was already considering teaching English in South Korea at the time so I decided that gaining my UK teaching license would be a great way to expand my options, not just within the UK but abroad as well.
In September 2020, I started my PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education)… and it was the most stressful period of my life.
I enjoy teaching and interacting with the kids but I was truly ignorant of the amount of extra work that teachers have. My anxiety spiked to new heights and now that I have completed that chapter of my life, I am taking a break before deciding whether to complete my ECT years (Early Career’s Teaching). Regardless of whatever I choose in the future, I am proud of myself for getting my PGCE and QTS (Qualified teaching status).
Moving to South Korea
So back to South Korea! I applied for EPIK (English Program in Korea) and was accepted into the Fall intake!
On August 6th, 2021, after months of gathering documents and desperately avoiding covid, I was hopping on a plane once more and heading somewhere new.
Yes, it was different from my backpacking experience. I traded hostels for an apartment and explored 1 country instead of 8.
I had lived in Daejeon for an entire year and this had to be one of the greatest achievements of my life. I consider South Korea to be a second home to me and I can’t wait to visit again in the future.
So, what’s next? Why a blog?
Now that I’m back in the UK, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect upon my experiences. Since I left university, I have struggled with my identity and understanding what I want for myself and my career. What is the right path vs what I want.
For me, it’s travelling. I know that I’ll be off exploring the world again at some point, I just can’t sit still! If you are like me and want to experience life abroad, I want to give you the information you need to get started and make that decision. I want you to know that it’s ok to follow the unconventional if it makes you happy!
So, that’s my story so far! What’s yours?
Let’s Chat!
Let’s talk about all things travel!
You can get in contact with me via email.